Teens failing to meet reading standards in England

Almost one in three 14-year-olds in England are failing to reach the standards expected of their age group in reading, Sats results have shown. Sats are national tests that assess student achievement. Boys are faring worse than girls when it comes to literacy, according to the tests taken by around 600,000 teenagers in England.

While writing levels improved 3% over last year, more than a quarter (27%) of pupils fell short of Level 5—the standard expected of them in English—with figures down 1% over 2007.

It is a reversal of results at primary school level, where the proportion of schoolchildren reaching the expected standard in reading is higher than in writing. Read more on the Independent Television News website.